What is Inflow and Infiltration (I&I)?
Inflow and Infiltration (I&I) is the excess flow of clear water into the Village’s sanitary sewer system.
- Inflow is when clear water from illegal connections of sump pumps, downspouts, and foundation drains is channeled directly into sanitary sewer pipes.
- Infiltration is when groundwater seeps into sewer pipes via cracks or leaky joints.
Because the sanitary sewer system was not designed to handle this excess clear water, it becomes overloaded during times of high groundwater or heavy rainfall. This can cause basement flooding or bypassing of raw wastewater to local streams and lakes.
What’s the problem?
Wastewater from the Village travels through the Town’s sanitary sewer system for processing. The Village is charged annually for each gallon of wastewater transmitted and processed by the treatment plant. When I&I gets into the wastewater, our wastewater treatment costs go up because more water is being processed. In the end, these cost increases result in increases to your water/sewer bill.
The excess clear water from I&I problems also uses sanitary sewer capacity needed for wastewater. The result is sewer backups and increased costs to homeowners and taxpayers for needlessly putting clear water through the wastewater treatment process.
The New York State Environmental Conservation Department (NYSDEC) requires communities with excess I&I to invest in local reduction remedies such as disconnecting sump pumps and foundation drains from sanitary sewers and repairing leaky sanitary sewer pipes.
To urge compliance, NYSDEC will fine communities with excess I&I.
Village Infrastructure Repairs
The Village, like most communities in Western New York, was identified as a contributor of excess I&I and is working to resolve the problem.
The Village has invested millions of dollars to replace or line our sewer lines. This is an ongoing process which eliminates cracks, breaks and repairs connections.
I&I Problem Spots on Your Property
Drainage from roofs, paved areas, yards and other open areas, if improperly discharged, will lead to I&I issues.
Roof Drains and Leaders
Roof drains and leaders direct storm water from roof gutters to the ground through pipes and downspouts. Roof drains should not be connected to the sanitary sewer, but should discharge to the ground outside of a building.
If your roof drains are connected to the sanitary sewer, disconnect them, plug any open connections to the sanitary sewer using a non-shrink permanent material, and redirect the roof drains onto the ground outside the building.
Foundation Drains
Foundation drains are underground pipes that collect storm water from around the base of a building and into a sump pit, where it is then pumped outside of the building. Foundation drains should not be connected to the sanitary sewer.
If your foundation drain system is connected to the sanitary sewer, correcting the problem could be costly. The process could involve excavation to disconnect the foundation drain from the sanitary sewer and installation of a sump pump system. The new sump system must pump directly to the ground outside of the building or be connected to the Village’s storm sewer system.
Sump Pumps
Sump pumps are designed to capture surface or ground water that enters basements or crawl spaces and pump it away from the house. The basic sump system includes drain tile, a sump pit, a sump pump, a float or switch, and a drain line. The sump pit extends below the slab and collects surface water that enters the basement/crawl space or groundwater that rises to the slab.
Sump pumps should not be connected to the sanitary sewer. Sump pumps should drain into the Village’s storm sewer system through a direct connection (a pipe from the house to the main storm sewer line.
I&I Inspections Program
To comply with NYSDEC directives regarding I&I, the Village may need to inspect homes and businesses to determine if roof drains, foundation drains, sump pumps (see Program Links), and other clear water sources are connected to the sanitary sewer system. The goal of this program is to reduce excessive flows that enter the sanitary sewer system so the Village won’t have to pay NYSDEC penalties. The Village already conducts these inspections as part of its Time of Sale Inspections and will continue with systematic house-to-house and business-to-business inspections later this year.
Who is subject to an inspection?
- All properties in Village of Kenmore must be inspected and required to be in compliance before they can be sold. Under the Time of Sale Law, a property must be inspected to ensure that no I&I issues are present.
- If problems are found, the corrective work must be completed and an inspection before a Certificate of Compliance will be issued. Upon completion of a successful Time of Sale Inspection. This Certificate is good for 2 years. Please note that this Certificate is needed in order to close. We strongly urge you to contact the Building Department to schedule your initial inspection as soon as possible after entering into a Contract for Sale to ensure adequate time for inspections (and re-inspections, if needed).
- Property owners who apply for plumbing permits, variances, subdivisions, or other actions from the Village will also be subject to an inspection.
- In the near future, the Village will conduct systematic house-to-house and business-to-business inspections to check for I&I issues.
- Properties identified as having possible problems with connections, may be asked to allow the Village (or its contractor) to perform Smoke and/or Dye tests. These tests will help to verify if there are any problems and the location of the leak.